Come Home Soon, Johnny The 2009 Rewrite
by AmyJean.77
Summary: TEMPORARY HIATUS! I will continue this when I get a break from school; as it happens to be kicking my ace.
1. Hearts Burst Into Fire

Well, here we go again. I really hope this version is better. I'm hell bent on fixing the grammar mistakes, and all the other crap I messed up on the first time. The plot may be a bit more angsty, because I feel like it was just way too fluffy the first time around.

Keep in mind, that this is a present day fic!

I own nothing at all, except Johnny's guitar.

* * *

Johnny's been gone about a year, now. He writes a letter about every week, but there's never a return address. When Johnny flat-lined in the hospital, Dally went crazy and committed suicide by police. Or, that's what Darry called it. I got sick after that and when I finally got a little better, I woke up to see Johnny and Darry asleep on chairs. I thought I was dreaming when Johnny woke up and told me that he knew I was alright. He gave me a piece of paper, a kiss on the forehead and said "See ya around, Ponyboy." I still thought I was dreaming, so I stuck the paper under my pillow and went back to sleep. I woke up and sure enough, he was gone. I think I mourned over it for a week and finally, one day I broke down and bawled about three hours on and off and that was the last time I've cried since he left.

I couldn't believe he had run away, until I remembered the paper. I looked violently under the pillow. I found the letter and I pulled on it. It was stuck. I thought it would have a reason why he would run away, but it wasn't much good for information.

_Ponyboy,_

_I know how much this will hurt you, but I have to leave. Just to get some things straightened out. You're my best friend and I love you but it's not worth having Soda and Darry worry about you again. Besides, I'll be gone longer than just 5 days. This won't be like last time. I'm not sure if I'll come back or not. It all depends on how things go when I get to the city I'm going to._

_Tell everyone I'm sorry for leaving._

_Johnny_

_P.S. I'll write as often as I can._

I wished so very hard that he would come back.

I got over it after a couple months. The letters really helped. I wanted desperately to write him back, but I guessed he was traveling alot. That would explain the no return address.

It was late. I looked in the mailbox and I had gotten another letter from Johnny, and I was walking in the house to read it when Steve turned on the television screaming about something.

"Darry! Sodapop! Come in here! Come on, guys!" He sounded frantic. If he had been anyone else, I would have been worried.

"What's goin' on Steve?" Soda sounded kinda angry that he was screaming like that, with no one killing him.

"Johnny's on T.V.!"

"WHAT?" I felt my heart drop to the floor as I let go of the letter.

"Yeah, look!" Steve was pointing at five guys sitting on a small stage.

One was holding a drum, two were holding guitars, one was holding a microphone, and Johnny was holding one, too. And then they started to play.

"1, 2, 3, 4.." The one next to Johnny started off the quintet. Then the two with mics sang together.

"I'm coming home  
I've been gone for far too long

Do you remember me at all?  
I'm leaving  
Have I fucked things up again?  
I'm dreaming  
Too much time without you spent

It hurts  
Wounds so sore  
Now I'm torn  
Now I'm torn

I've been far away  
When I see your face  
My heart burst into fire  
Hearts burst into fire

You're not alone  
I know I'm far from home  
Do you remember me at all?  
I'm leaving  
Do you wait for me again?  
I'm screaming  
No more days without you spent

It hurts  
Wounds so sore  
Now I'm torn  
Now I'm torn

I've been far away  
When I see your face  
My heart burst into fire  
Hearts burst into fire

My bed's so cold, so lonely  
No arms, just sheets to hold me  
Has this world stopped turning?  
Are we forever to be apart?  
Forever to be apart...

It hurts  
Wounds so sore  
Now I'm torn  
Now I'm torn

I've been far away  
When I see your face  
My heart burst into fire  
Hearts burst into fire

I'm coming home  
I've been gone for far too long  
Do you remember me at all?

Remember me at all?  
I'm leaving  
I'm screaming  
I'm dreaming..."

I wish I could have seen the look on my face. It's rare that someone's mouth drops genuinely from shock. As I listened to the deep, deep words that were coming from the men, I felt like bawling. I knew, somehow I knew that Johnny and the other man had written this song about me. Or the gang. I'm not that self-centered but that's the first impression I got. Maybe this man had run away from home, too. Maybe he missed his buddies. Or his woman. Maybe his kids. I don't know.

He didn't look like a hood. I wasn't sure what he looked like. He looked tuff. He was wearing a leather vest. He looked at Johnny and told the audience that they could ask questions to any band member they wanted to. A little girl stood up. I didn't think she looked old enough to be going to any kind of concert. Not that I actually cared at the time. She looked like she had a tiny voice.

"Where did you get the insparation for that song?" She sounded too old for her age.

The man spoke and as he did, he clapped a hand on Johnny's shoulder.

"Well, honey, that song was primarily written by this guy right here. Johnny Cade. Who agreed to sing for us, tonight." The man had a strong accent. I couldn't tell where he was from. He smiled and the crowd clapped. There was just a small amount people there. I imagined it to be peaceful and friendly. The man spoke again. "I'll let you explain this, Johnny." The man grinned. He was handsome.

"Thanks, Matt." So the man had a name. "Well, I left my hometown about a year ago, and I really miss everyone. It was about them, the ones I left behind." Johnny sounded like he was used to all the attention.

Then a boy walked up to ask a question. He was very thin and tall. He wore similar clothing to Matt and he had scared voice. Maybe this was his favorite band. "My question is for Matt.... How and when did you get another vocalist for Bullet?" Matt smiled proudly.

"I was going down to pick up lunch and I heard someone singing _'Tears Don't Fall'_ the acoustic version and playing the guitar with it. He was very good so I stopped and talked to him. He was real nice and I asked him his name and we got to know each other a little better. And thus Johnny is now our co-vocal specialist." Matt smiled proudly again and someone else stepped up to ask a question. Another boy, but he looked much younger and much more scared than the last.

"Johnny, you say you wrote this song about some people back home. Was this a girlfriend, maybe?" The boy sat back down and Johnny smiled.

"Naw," He said. "It's about my friends I used to hang out with. One in particular..." Johnny stopped talking, clearly the subject was a painful one. The young boy stood up again. "What was his name?"

Johnny froze. He looked as if the answer was a secret he wanted to tell the world. But at the same time he wanted to take his secret to the grave. "Ponyboy."

I'll be honest. I thought they were going to laugh at my name. If they did, I couldn't hear it. The man named Matt smiled brightly at Johnny and then they answered more questions about their new album _'Scream, Aim, Fire'._ I learned that Johnny was with them for almost 6 months. Their band was called Bullet For My Valentine and _'Scream, Aim, Fire Revised Re-written and Disheveled'_ was coming out next month. It had 5 extra songs written by Matt and Johnny, so the album was pretty long.

The credits showed up and I looked at Soda. "Is that it?" I asked desperately.

Soda sighed. "I guess so, baby brother." And he turned off the television set.

* * *

Well, I hope that was better! Review?

Oh yeah. We ALL know that Matt Tuck probably wouldn't pick up a kid and just put him in the band, but that's just how it goes here.


	2. Telephone Call for Ponyboy Curtis

I own nothing.

* * *

That night, I went to sleep trembling. Johnny had written that song for us. And _me_.

I missed him with everything in me, and as close as we had gotten, I still couldn't figure out why he had left.

I snuggled up to Soda, and then I wiggled out. "Johnny's letter!" I said aloud, causing Soda to stir.

"Wha goin' on?" He said, then he snored and I chuckled quietly.

I walked back into the dark living room, someone was asleep on the couch. I figured it was Two-Bit or Steve. I found the letter on the floor. I hoped no one had stepped on it. I walked back into my room and flipped on a tiny nightlight and read:

_Ponyboy,_

_Hey man. I hope this letter gets to you before you watch T.V. on the 15th. I'll be singing on there with some buddies of mine. I'm doing real good. I want to come back home and see you guys, but I don't know if I can. We're recording a new song, the one you'll hear last on the 15th. It should be on channel 28, 8 o'clock._

_I'll try and call you next week._

_Johnny_

It was different than all the other letters. It had actual information in it. But it was too late to tell me all this, now. We all watched it already. But he said he was going to try and call us! "Yes!" I thought. Maybe he could come home, at least for a little while. I don't think I had ever old anyone how much I missed him. Not even Sodapop. Soda and I grew apart when Johnny left. Not alot, but enough.

I put the letter on my desk and as quietly as possible, got back into bed. I was so excited that Johnny might finally call us and he may get to come home for a while. I reminded myself not to get too excited about it until I heard from him again.

I squirmed onto the bed and laid on my back. I was staring at the ceiling, vacantly wondering where Johnny was, and what he was doing. The realm of sleep slowly took over me and as I closed my eyes, I faintly heard Johnny's soft voice as I dropped into slumber.

_"My bed's so cold, so lonely... No arms, just sheets to hold me... Has this world stopped turning? Are we forever to be apart?"  
_  
I opened my eyes to see Steve and Soda standing in the kitchen yelling about icing for the chocolate cake.

"You don't put enough sugar in the icing!"

"I put just enough, Steve!" Then Sodapop challenged him to an arm-wrestling match.

"You put too much, Soda, now shut up." I think I was too tired to worry about the following occurrence. Steve sitting on my stomach and Soda tickling my under my arms. A few punches, and a couple kicks, I was free and huffing like a bull.

"Ha-ha. You still gonna quit smoking, Ponyboy?" Darry was chuckling at me.

"I don't guess so." I knew Darry was the only one who would take me seriously this morning. "Come here, Darry." I pulled him into my room.

"What's goin' on Pony?" If you only knew how thankful I was that he wasn't joking around today.

"I got a letter from Johnny yesterday."

"Yeah, Soda said something about it." He almost looked worried. "Why, is Johnny okay?"

"I guess he's fine, he said he might try to call and come home for a bit." I felt sad that Johnny missed us, and that he had new buddies. I wanted to see him. I wanted to hug him. But I'd never tell Darry.

He smiled and said "Where's that letter?" So I gave it to him. He looked up from the letter and looked me in the face, smiling. "Has he called, yet?"

"No." I said. "It might be a few days. When was it dated?" Of course I hadn't looked at the date.

"The tenth. Shoot! He'll be callin' any day!" Darry looked around, I saw the pucker that forms between his eyebrows when Darry's thinking hard.

I was suddenly nervous.

The thought that Johnny could be calling any day caught up with me and I almost shuddered. I looked up at Darry. He looked ecstatic, I was shaking in my bare feet.

"Lets go tell the guys!" He walked out. "Hey guys! Ponyboy got a letter from Johnny yesterday!"

I was walking back from my room and I heard Steve say "So? Don't Pony get letters from him all the time?"

"Yeah, but this one says that he's gonna call us soon. Probably in a few days!" The gang went wild with satisfaction.

"Alright!"

"Woo-hoo!"

"Oww!"

I heard the whooping and hollering and I felt detached. My thoughts were racing.

_"What if he's different?"_

_"What if he sounds different?"_

_"What if he don't like us anymore?"_

But another part of my brain was saying differently.

_"Why are you over-reacting? You just saw him last night. He sounded normal, and he wrote that song for you and the guys. He's no different, and you're not going crazy. It's normal to be thinking like that. I promise."_

I calmed myself down by repeating that a few times.

I took a few more deep breaths and steadied myself. Johnny was coming home for a while, he was calling, and I'm gonna get to see him again. Wow. Is this all true?

_Ring, ring, ring._

"Hello?" I heard Darry answer the phone. "Johnny! Hey buddy! How's it goin'?"

I turned to stare at Darry, I wished I could hear the other side of the conversation.

"Yeah? That's great! Yeah, we saw you and Bullet For My Valentine on the T.V. last night. I didn't know you could sing!" Darry laughed. "Well Johnnycake, who do you wanna talk to?"

_"Please be me. Please be me. Please be me!"_ I cried inside my head, trying not to show it.

"Ponyboy, he wants to talk to you." Darry smiled.

I grabbed the receiver, my hand tingled. "Hey Johnny." I tried not to sound so expectant.

"Glory, it's good to hear your voice." He sounded so beautiful. And thankfully, the same.

"I would say the same, but I heard yours on T.V." He laughed.

"Yeah, I agreed to sing with them. That was my first performance. They were doing a little show near Matt's hometown. They asked me to sing my song with 'em. And it was real nice. Friendly and peaceful." Then there was a kind of awkward silence. And of course, I broke it.

"Are you gonna be able to come home for a while?" I didn't mean to put it out bluntly like that.

"Well, I talked to Matt about the show and the response from the fans and stuff, he says it'll be fine as long as we finish recording that one song."

"Yeah, something about hearts and fire?" I was lying to a degree. I remembered everything about that song. All the way down to how Johnny's face looked while he sang a few select words.

"Hearts Burst Into Fire, yeah." I could hear Johnny's pride. If Johnny ever had something to be proud of, he was never halfway proud of it.

"You sure can sing good, Johnny." I said quietly.

"Thanks." He stopped talking and I heard a man in the background. He sounded like a nagging wife. "Well Pony I have to go. Manager's getting on my back about staying on the phone. I'll call you guys tomorrow. Is that okay?"

"Yeah! Call back anytime."

"Okay." He paused. "Hey Pony?"

"Yeah?"

"I-I miss you." And my heart melted like butter on the sun. I wanted to say that I missed him, too. I had no luck with that.

"Sorry Ponyboy. The manager needs the phone. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

I almost didn't want to say anything. "Bye." I managed.

_Click._

"Well, is he gonna be able to come home?" I hadn't noticed that I'd hung up the phone, or that Two-Bit was standing next to me. I guessed that Two-Bit had stopped by and Steve told him the story.

"He's gonna check with their manager and stuff. He'll call back tomorrow." I said.

The rest of the day was spent normally. Two-Bit stayed and helped dispose of a few beers. Steve and Soda played poker all day. Darry cleaned up a little. The house wasn't very dirty. I read some more on a book that a Socy girl I talk to sometimes recommended. _Apathy And Other Small Victories_. I liked it. It was very strange, but still good.

The end of the day went similarly to the previous. I was nervous about the next day and I thought I was going to lose my mind. My relationship with Johnny was never questioned as being more than best buddies. I had already thought over the fact that I had a little crush on Johnny, and that it would never go anywhere. I had accepted that fact and moved on.

Okay, so maybe I hadn't.

* * *

I'm thinking the story will start going in a different direction now.

Hearts Burst Into Fire belongs to Bullet For My Valentine.

Apathy And Other Small Victories belongs to Paul Neilan. Which I do reccommend!


	3. There's No Arguing with Stars

Uh-oh time to put up the warning! **This fic contains mentions of SLASH! That means boyXboy situations! If you don't like that; KINDLY hit the big red X up there at the top of the page, or hit the back button, or something. I don't want ANY lip from anyone!**

Pony was SO out of character the first time around! Why didn't anyone tell me? LOL. This chapter pretty much sets everything off in a... _new_ direction, so get ready. It's nothing graphic, though, so no worries for the younger ones.

Oh; and today (July 14th) is my birthday, so I'm giving YOU GUYS this chapter as a present. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it! I must say, I'm quite happy with the way things are going as of now. Johnny's going right where he needs to be.

* * *

I opened my eyes, I was flat on my back. I was still very tired, and then memory hit me. I was worried for a minute that Johnny had called, but I looked over at the window and I barely saw the rays from the sunrise.

I relaxed again. I closed my eyes and thought of nothing else besides Johnny. It was like meditation, only I didn't breathe like I should have.

Which is probably why I ended up short-winded. I ended up thinking of the time he and I were forced by Darry to take a shower together.

_The rain was exactly what this part of Tulsa needed. The drought could only get better after four months of no rain at all. Johnny and I raced down to the vacant lot together to toss the football around a bit. Not finding the football, we ended up laying down on the grass. We didn't fight it, we let the rain wash our dry faces. My favorite thing about being with Johnny was that was nothing short of comfort. I could really be comfortable being myself with Johnny. My eyes wandered to the dark haired mass beside of me. His eyes were closed, and he was smiling softly as fat rain drops smacked him in the face. I couldn't help but stare at him. He looked so calm and happy, if I hadn't known better, I would have thought he was asleep. Until his eyes fluttered open, and my heart fluttered with them._

_"What is it Pony?" He asked, the small smile never leaving his face._

_"Nothing. Just thinking."_

_"'Bout what?" He turned his body to face mine, leaning on his elbow. I did the same, facing him._

_"Everything... and nothing." He said. Johnny raised his eyebrows at me. "It's nothing Johnny. Don't worry about it."_

_"Alright, man. But you know I'll listen to you 'bout whatever you need to talk about, right?" He asked, I melted and smiled._

_"Yeah, Johnnycake. I do." Johnny smiled wider. Then an evil smirk came across his face. I leaned my head back. "What?" My question was barely out when Johnny jumped on me._

_Johnny had me pinned before I knew what he was doing. I tried to roll him off, but he's stronger than he looks. Johnny had his knees by my hips, holding on. He almost fell and his hands went to the ground above my head, leaning over me. He then scooted back, sitting on my knees and grabbed my wrists. His eyes were so bright, I was tranquilized for a minute, but then I fell back into reality. He barked a laugh when I managed to get one hand loose, turning us over. I started tickling his sides, he was writhing, and I was laughing along with him._

_He found my wrists again and he rolled us over. This time into a big mud pit._

_"Augh!" I groaned, feeling the cold mud squish under me._

_Johnny barked. "Got you now!" He laughed, struggling to keep a hold on my hands. I lifted my knees, throwing Johnny up slightly, and I was over him once again. He bucked against me, flinging mud and rain from his hair onto my face and in my mouth. I spluttered and he started tickling me again, causing my back to collapse. I managed to hold myself up on my elbows. I rolled onto my back, trying to get away from the menacing hands of my best friend. He just followed me, still tickling until I grabbed his wrists._

_He settled himself on my lap, grinning from ear to ear, his face brighter than I'd ever seen it. He shook the hair out of his eyes and smiled at me. I loosened my grip on his wrists and he linked our hands, slowly._

_He shifted his knees forward. I don't know what he was trying to do, but his knees slipped in the mud and he fell on me with a grunt. My face burned white hot as I drank in the feeling of his weight on my chest._

_It should have been uncomfortable, for he was taller than me and probably weighed more. But damn it if it didn't feel _right_ for him to be there. He let my fingers go and pushed himself up._

_"Sorry, Pone." He said, his face glowing pink._

_"Don't worry about it, Johnny." I smiled. "It was fun while it lasted." I said more to myself than him, but he heard me anyway._

_Johnny looked at me like I was crazy. I watched a rather large raindrop run down the side of his face. "What makes you think I'm done?" And he pounced._

_Sometime after the rain stopped, I couldn't tell you how long we were there, I gave in. I didn't think my arms and legs could take anymore. We kept turning each other over in the mud, finally emerging in a lovely layer of crusty dirt._

_He and I trudged back to my house slowly, laughing the whole way._

_I thought Darry was going to bash our heads in when we walked onto the porch._

_"WHAT have you been doing, Ponyboy Curtis?" He yelled at me. Johnny looked guilty under all the mud._

_"Me and Johnny wrestled down at the lot."_

_"Looks like you did alot more than wrestled!" Darry said. My eyes shot open. Was Darry suggesting that Johnny and I--? "What did you do, have a mud war?" He asked, still angry but a hint of amusement riddled his voice. I let out the breath I didn't know I was holding as Johnny began chuckling softly._

_"Go on in the house and take a shower, you two. But Pony, you'll probably have to vacuum up the mud later."_

_"Alright, Darry." I said. Johnny walked into my house, and he turned around._

_"Want to shower first?" He asked me._

_"Nahh. You go ahead."_

_"Are you sure?"_

_"Yeah. I gotta get you some clean clothes, anyway."_

_"Alright." Johnny said. As he turned to go to the bathroom, Darry poked his head inside the door._

_"Hey, guys. Why don't you two just shower together? The drought's still pretty bad, it'll help save some water."_

_"B-but it just rained!" I yelped, my heart pounding fiercely._

_"Pony, one little storm ain't gonna fix four months of drought. Now just go on and get in the shower. I'll vacuum for you?"_

_"But Darry--"_

_"No buts, Pony. I ain't payin' triple on the water bill if I can avoid it. Now go on." Darry let the door slam behind him._

_"Yeah, Pone. Ain't like you and Johnny got different parts, or nothin'." Soda spoke up from the couch. He looked as if he were about to burst with laughter._

_"Whatever." I sighed in defeat. "Johnny come on, lets go get us some clean clothes." I said feigning annoyance. I was excited about it, but scared to death, too._

_Slowly, I walked into my room, trying not to make a huge mess for Darry. I gathered my change of clothes, and told Johnny help himself into my closet._

_I waited until he found something, and purposefully brushed mud off Johnny's shoulder. He snickered at me._

_In the bathroom, the silent agreement was "just turn around." So I turned my back to Johnny and stripped naked._

_"I hope the water's not too hot." Johnny said. I faced him, in all his naked glory._

A dog barked loudly and woke me from my trance. I had to blink several times. The morning sun was hitting me in the face, as if to say "How dare you think of Johnny as more than a friend!" I would have rolled my eyes and told the sun to beat it, but there's no arguing with stars.

I rolled over to find an empty bed. I wondered where Soda was. I shrugged in my thoughts. He had probably rised early to make a cake, or to see if Steve had stayed the night.

I got up out of bed and took a shower.

The house was deserted. Maybe everyone had left early. Oh yeah, it was a Monday. I forgot.

I sat down and watched television waiting for Johnny's call. I had hoped that he would call while everyone was gone. Maybe I would get my wish.

_Ring, ring, ring. _My heart leapt to my throat.

"Hello?" I asked, my voice squeaking slightly.

"Ponyboy."

"Oh, hi Tim." My face fell.

"Listen Pony, you seen Curly 'round?"

"Um, no. Not today, I haven't."

"Alright, then."

_Click._

The anticipation was terrible. So I decided to read more on _Apathy and Other Small Victories_.

_"The scream was primordial. I have never heard another human make such a sound. Her jaw distended like she was a snake about to eat a small child and her whole body shook, her two fists out like she was a pilot trying to pull a 747 out of a nose-dive."_

I had hoped that Shane, the character in the book, wouldn't get killed by Gwen. She was sadistic and abusive and scary. And I hope I _never_ meet anyone like her.

I was reading at a pretty decent pace and then I sped up and didn't realize that the phone was ringing.

I fumbled with the receiver. "Hello?"

"Hey, Ponyboy!" It was Johnny this time.

"Hey Johnny! How are ya?" My breathing quickened.

"I'm great. Guess where I am."

"Uhh, Texas?"

"Yeah, right. I'm in Oklahoma city!"

"Glory, Johnny! Already?"

"Well... I figured... I'd just come and see you, but if--"

"No, no, no! I just meant that I didn't know you w-were coming so soon. But I'm glad you're here, there!" I heard him breathe a sigh of relief.

"Me too. Listen, I'll be there in hold on... how long, Joey?" I heard the man named Joey mumble something. "I'll be there in an hour and a half, tops."

"Great. Well, actually, everyone headed to work already but I'm _sure_ ready to see ya." I felt my face burn. Johnny laughed softly. My face must have looked like a tomato.

"I know. I, uh, wanted to see you first." Johnny's quiet confession pounded in my ears and made me even more nervous. "Well, I have to go, but I'll see you very soon. Okay?"

"Almost two hours... that's not so soon." I said quietly, more to myself than to Johnny.

"Ponyboy," He said, his voice stern. "It's not that long. Find a book and start in the the middle. I'll be with you before you get to the last chapter. I promise."

"Okay, Johnny."

"Kay, I'll see you _soon_."

I planned on saying something else before he hung up, but there's no arguing with stars.

* * *

I love mud pits. The backstory of the shower hit me with full force the other night, and I just kept typing, and typing and typing; and I ended up having to cut out some of it because it got slightly lemon-scented, LOL. But the boys rolling in the mud after a short rainstorm, and then still having to conserve water was just perfect. Or maybe I'm biased. Yeah, probably.

Notice that I didn't accidentally put Dally in here this time. XD I can't believe I did that the first time around, although it was pretty funny.

Enjoy, and review!


	4. Making it Real

**WARNING!** There are mentions of **SLASH **here! And I did have a request for non-slash, but I'm sorry, slash was in the original plot line made by myself and my wonderful friend Kelly (who stayed up all night with me last year plotting this story out) so, the slash is staying! And if you don't like it, KINDLY LEAVE.

Oh, and another thing! I'm making them less... feminine. I'm trying to think more like a guy, so that they'll be more in character. And to anyone remaining, please, enjoy.

* * *

I felt like a child on Christmas, staying up into the early hours of the morning, looking for someone who would never come. Except, it was almost eight thirty, and I knew that Johnny would be here.

I felt even more like a child when I saw my Santa pulling up in a taxi. Slowly, I opened the screen door and stood on the porch. I watched Johnny give the bills to the driver, and I thought my heart skipped a beat when he looked up at me, smiling. Then, I was positive that it had stopped when I had long tan limbs crushing my torso. I quickly reached up, wrapped both my arms around his neck and squeezed. I laughed a little when he lifted me off the ground. I instinctively wrapped my legs around his thighs. He held me up for a little while longer, and then dropped me, stopping the hug but still holding onto my forearms.

His smile was too big for his face. I haven't seen Johnny smile that big in years, even before he ran away. That smile was contagious, I couldn't help grin back at him. He then pulled me into a more intimate hug, resting his head in the crook of my neck, his arms softly clutching around my middle.

"Glory... I missed you Ponyboy." He whispered. I had tears in my eyes, but I held them back, not wanting Johnny to think I was a baby. I was less than six months away from being sixteen years old.

"Me too, Johnny." I choked out. He pulled himself back, making warm eye contact. His smile was ever-present, but I could see the wetness threatening to fall. "Let's go in, eh?"

"Yeah. C'mon." He turned around to pick up his bag that he'd dropped, but I was already grabbing it. "Thanks, Pony."

I opened the screen door to let him in. His head turned upwards, and in every direction, staring at the place as if it were made of gold.

"Wow." He breathed, and then let out a small laugh. "It's all the same." The smile was too big for his face again. He walked slowly next to the couch, running his fingers over the arm, moving to stare at the television. He then went to the kitchen and looked over the cabinets and the fridge, touching the kitchen table softly before returning to sit on the couch, his huge smile not leaving his face.

He sighed contently when he leaned back into the cushions and I watched his eyes flutter closed. He then opened them and looked straight at me. "Come here, Ponyboy. Sit with me."

I smiled and sat indian-style next to him, our knees touching with the slightest movement.

"I missed this place," Johnny said, his eyes still scanning the living room. They landed on me and I saw a flash of affection behind the darkness. "Look, Pone. I owe you an explanation."

"No. No you don't, Johnny. You said it yourself, you _had_ to leave. It's none of my business why." I shook my head. Yeah, I was curious why he upped and left, but I stand by what I said. It's none of my business.

He smiled a little, looking at the carpet. "Ponyboy, I just want you to know. I don't want you to feel like I ran away from you guys. Cause I didn't! I just--" He sighed and hung his head.

"Johnny," I put my hand on his wrist. "You don't have to. Plus, I already know you didn't run away from us. Darry, maybe, but that's another story." He and I laughed at my stupid joke.

"Nahh. I just want you to know, Pony." He looked me in the eyes.

"Alright. But you know you don't have to, right?"

"I know. I want to." He took a deep breath. "Well, after I started working on all my community service for Bob, I just couldn't take all the crap from the people. The stupid Socs jumped me every other day, but thankfully I usually had Two-Bit with me, or was in public where the fight stopped before it started."

I nodded, I knew all of this already. I'd taken care of Johnny one day after the Socs had actually found him alone. He was just a little dinged up, nothing more than a black eye and a few scrapes on his knuckles. Darry had intervened, I think.

"Well after a while, the people everywhere looked at me like they were next on my killing list." He rolled his eyes. "And then my stupid father.... He was just being more than awful, callin' me a murderer and stuff, plus he would beat me up every single day. Making me not be able to work good at the community service thing, which normally I wouldn't care about, but I had alot of work to do, and it was--"

He cut off, and I instinctively scooted closer to him, putting my arm around his shoulders, squeezing slightly. He hung his head, ashamed. "Johnny," I said to get his attention. He looked up at me, I smiled apologetically. "It's okay. You were under rediculous circumstances. There was _nothing_ you could have done. It wasn't your fault."

Johnny's eyes were shining, he blinked rapidly, trying to hold back the tears. I reached for his hand, almost as a reflex. I tried to contain my smile as his warm fingers linked through mine. He smiled a little. It wasn't quite the breath-taking grin he'd sported earlier, but it made my heart swell just the same.

"So who's those guys you were with?" I asked, surprised at the jealousy that seeped out of my voice.

His eyes twinkled with affection. "Matt's band. I met him in Stillwater. He's helped me alot. When he found out I could sing," He laughed at his memory. "He sat me down and made me write "Hearts Burst Into Fire" with him. He's a cool guy, you'd like him, Pony."

For some reason, I had the feeling that I wouldn't like Matt very well. "Where's he from? I didn't recognize the accent he had." I asked, covering up the jealousy in my voice. I wasn't sure why I had a dislike for the boy. I just knew that Johnny was _my_ friend, and I didn't quite feel like sharing.

"Wales. We went there a few times, but I still don't know what country it's in." He laughed.

I smiled. "England, I think."

"Yeah, that's the one."

"So you've traveled around the world and everything." I said, my eyebrows raising.

"Yeah, kinda. I love it. The guys are great. We get along good and everything." He paused with a smile twitching at him. "I hope you'll get to meet all the guys, soon."

"I'd like that, Johnnycake." He beamed at the nickname. He must not have told his new friends much about his past. Not that I blamed him, really. "Do they, uh, know about... about us? I mean, the gang?"

"Yeah, of course." His eyes twinkled with the same affection as before. "Matt and Jay really want to meet you. I've told them pretty much everything about us. T-the gang, I mean." He blushed dark purple.

"Did you finish the community service?" I asked, and then wanted to kick myself. I knew that was a touchy subject for Johnny.

"Yeah. It hasn't been long since I finished it. Just a couple weeks, really. That's why I couldn't come home sooner. After I got it finished, I was able to work on the album. I have an unedited copy I brought you guys."

"Cool. Can we listen to it?"

"Sure! It is yours, after all." He pulled his bag from it's place on the couch. He rummaged through it, mumbling to himself. He then pulled out a CD case with a plain white disc inside.

_Bullet for my Valentine - Revised, Re-written, & Disheveled_

I blinked at the object. Somehow, the evidence under my nose made it more real that Johnny had a new life.

* * *

I hope this chapter is okay. Every single word was hard to write! I'm not entirely sure how the rest of this will go, so I'll wing it until the plot Kelly and I have catches up with Johnny and Ponyboy.


	5. Trying

Realityrelief: Thanks for your review, and I apologize for that being unclear. He was just flipping through channels on the telly and a dark haired boy with a scar on his cheek caught his eye. Upon closer inspection, guess who?

PS. Thanks for everyone who's reviewed so far! I know it's not much right now, but I'm working on making it better. If you have any friends who just so happen to love Bullet for my Valentine and Outsiders, -wink, wink. hint, hint- LOL.

* * *

Johnny smiled as I bobbed my head slightly to the heavy guitar. It was unlike anything I'd ever heard, and I loved every second. The words flowed through my ears, the song was very sweet. Thankfully, not the kind of puke-your-guts-up sweet, but just the right amount.

_Forever and always..._

_The time is here again  
Prepare to be apart  
And it drives you crazy_

_Each time I go away  
The distance gets longer  
But it makes us stronger_

_Should it all come crashing down around me?  
Would you be there, should I stumble and fall  
To pick up the pieces_

_Whoa oh oh  
Forget about the shit that we've been through  
I wanna stay here, forever and always_

_Whoa oh oh  
I'm standing here in front of all of you  
I wanna stay here forever and always_

_These days are dead again  
It's empty from the start  
And it drives me crazy_

"What's this called?" I asked.

"'Forever and Always'. Matt wrote it, but I helped a little. He's a sucky song writer." Johnny breathed a laugh. "I'm kiddin'. I just helped with the flow and a couple words. It's sometimes hard for him to get everything just the way he wants it."

"Ohh. Even rock stars aren't perfect." I smiled. "But you wrote 'Hearts Burst Into Fire' right?"

"Yep."

"All of it?"

"Not really. Matt had to help me alot with _my_ flow on that one." He took a deep breath. "It was harder than I thought, I just had all these feelings, and when they were down on paper, it didn't really help me one bit. Matt kinda copied and pasted until it was what it is." His black eyes shone with pride.

_The hours drift away  
It hurts to remember  
This will soon be over_

_Should it all come crashing down around me?  
Would you be there, should I stumble and fall  
To pick up the pieces_

_Whoa oh oh  
Forget about the shit that we've been through  
I wanna stay here forever and always_

_Whoa oh oh  
I'm standing here in front of all of you  
I wanna stay here forever and always_

"Hey, how come some of them are, uh? Not... hardcore?" I couldn't think of the word.

Johnny smiled. "Acoustic."

"Yeah, that."

"Matt and Moose got into it over that, actually. Matt wanted to keep 'Forever and Always' and 'Hearts Burst Into Fire' hardcore, but Moose wanted them acoustic on the album, for some reason." He shrugged.

I cringed. "Did they fight?"

"Nahh, me and Jay's kind of the peace-keepers. We have to keep the kiddies in line." I snickered, although the idea didn't surprise me. Johnny always kept the peace with us, why not with his new friends?

"We decided to keep them both hardcore, and have the acoustic versions as bonuses here and in certain countries. Like Europe, since everyone but me is from there."

"Certain _countries_?" I felt my eyes go wide. "Just how famous are you?"

He chuckled. I'd noticed he was much more light than before he left. He smiled and laughed alot, even if it was just softly. "Well, _I'm _not all that famous, Matt, Padge, Moose and Jay are though. I'm not really in the band, we've just been working together alot, and we all get along pretty well. Plus, the way the songs are turning out, Joey's loving the idea of me being a permanent thing."

"Permanent, huh?" I wasn't sure how I felt about that. Surely it would mean that Johnny would go away full time and nobody but his fans would ever see him again. As much as I really wanted Johnny to be as happy as possible, I most certainly did not want that.

"Mhm." He said, as if it were nothing. I saw in his eyes that Johnny knew, if he became a full time band member, their futures were nerve-wrackingly unknown. He then quickly changed the subject. "So what have I missed? Darry get married? Soda find a new broad? You got a girlfriend? Two-Bit finally graduate? Steve still at the gas station?"

I breathed a small laugh and unconsciously spit out, "Nothing, no, yes, definitely not, he's working on it, and yes."

"Definitely not?" Johnny raised an eyebrow. I flushed bright pink.

"Er, well I-I haven't had... I've just not... been, uh--" I couldn't think of anything to say, so I changed the subject and hoped he would go along with it. "So, w-what's 'Forever and Always' about?"

He snickered, but went along. "It's a little bit like 'Hearts Burst Into Fire' but the aspect is much different." Johnny explained to me. "It's about his wife, and obviously about his visits back home. I couldn't really relate much to it."

"How long were the visits?"

"Ten days." He looked slightly guilty.

"Oh."

"Every five months." He looked away from my gaze.

"Why didn't you visit earlier?" I looked from him, and at the carpet. I knew the conversation had turned serious.

"Pony, believe me, I wanted to. I tried to! It took almost two days to drive to an airport that even went to America. Plus over a day on the plane. Then over a two day's drive to Oklahoma." I saw tears forming themselves in his eyes. "I tried every way I could think of. The closest I made it was Kentucky, before Joey would send someone to get me. I really tried, Ponyboy, I'm so sorry."

* * *

I figured I'd try my hand at a kind-of-a-little-bit-of-a cliffie. What do you think?


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